Conventional aircraft wing construction generally comprises one or more spars that extend laterally relative to the longitudinal axis of the air frame for the support of a plurality of longitudinally extending laterally spaced ribs that define the shape of the air foil. Vertical web portions of the spars carry shear loads imposed on the wing and upper and lower wing skins act as flanges that sustain the wing under bending and torsional loads.
A variation on the aforesaid conventional wing construction is taught in Barkley, U.S. Pat. No. 2,122,709. Barkley discloses a wing constructed of a plurality of laterally extending webs that support the wing skins in a manner that makes it unnecessary to utilize longitudinally extending ribs. However, the Barkley wing configuration, like the conventional spar and rib construction, does not accommodate the use of composites.
Another problem addressed by the present invention is a phenomena known as "aeroelastic divergence". Aeroelastic divergence occurs when a forward swept wing is bent upwardly due to high angles of attack or gust loads. Because of the forward sweep geometry, the resultant torsional deflection increases the angle of attack of the wing. The increase in angle of attack of the wing increases aerodynamic load still further causing yet additional increase in the angle of attack. This self-propagating "divergence" can lead to structural damage or failure of the wing. To minimize the aforesaid phenomena the elastic configuration of the wing must be altered whereby an increase in aerodynamic load twists the wing in a direction so as to reduce the angle of attack of the wing thereby reducing aerodynamic load.
Yet another problem presented by known wing constructions, and addressed by the present invention, is the difficulty in integrating multiple fuel tanks into the wings of an aircraft.